'Symptoms' send 50 children home from Norwalk schools

Nearly 50 students left school with stomach problems Thursday, and the Norwalk Public Schools are attempting to determine the situation's cause.

Parents were notified and picked up their children from school, and in almost all cases, the students were back at school Friday with no symptoms.

According to a release from Superintendent of Schools Sal Corda's office, the Norwalk Health Department was notified and determined all of the correct food storage and preparation procedures by Whitson's Food Services, who is the supplier for all four schools involved, were followed.

The health department took food samples and is investigating them.

"As of (Friday) afternoon, we have no information that identifies the cause of the problem," said Corda, who noted it was fortunate the cases appeared to affect a small number of people. "We await the results of the analysis and will take whatever steps might be indicated to prevent something like this from happening again."

Approximately 30 students from the Naramake Elementary School, 10 students from Cranbury Elementary School, four students and one teacher from Side-by-Side Charter School, and one student from Parkway Assembly of God School reported stomach problems including nausea and diarrhea.

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